By Carleigh Griffeth
Lynchburg, VA – Over the past several years, businesses have been hit hard by the recession. One area of Lynchburg where you could see it first-hand was Wyndhurst.
The living and shopping community just couldn’t seem to get off its feet, but that’s no longer the story.
New business owners say they believe in the businesses of Wyndhurst, and their faith in each other is bringing the shopping area back to life.
“It takes a little while for people to ease into it, and I think people are starting to do that,” said Kay Hall.
Hall manages Bloom by Doyle’s, the newest addition to Wyndhurst. She says the area is on the rebound.
“It’s starting to pick up, and you’ll notice that there’s more traffic and more people are coming to the local shops.”
That’s something all shop owners are happy to see, especially the ones who were advised not to do business there.
“The majority of people told us maybe not to choose the location, maybe go somewhere else. Just that Wyndhurst was a poor location,” said Amanda Pate, owner of City Place Food and Company.
But Pate and her husband went with their gut, set up shop and haven’t looked back.
She says they couldn’t have done it without the other businesses.
“I’ve loved that it’s community oriented and that’s really what has made our business a successful is the businesses around us and the community,” she said.
Most of the stores in Wyndhurst don’t spend much on advertising. They rely mostly on word of mouth, and apparently, word travels fast.
“People who are around here they tell their own customers and their coworkers. And just from them telling other people about us, that is what has brought people into our doors,” said Pate.
“They’re like, ‘Hey have you been to the new flower shop, you should go look,'” said Hall.
“We just all kind of network and make sure we mention somebody else if somebody comes in and they don’t know what florist they’re going to use. I highly recommend Bloom,” said Heather Tolley, owner of Ethereal Brides.
Owners say this tight-knit community is what’s helping Wyndhurst make a comeback.